Flushing Money Down the Drain? How Much Plumbing Leaks Really Cost You

There was a homicide detective television series called Colombo. Colombo was a humble and ingenious individual whose job was to solve concealed crimes, with a wry smile.

A plumbing detective has all the characteristics of Colombo who humbly addresses concealed water emergencies by trying to stop households from flooding, drip by drip. Sometimes there is severe flooding coming through the ceiling, from the walls, or up from the floor. If the homeowner is lucky, water is located in or around the toilet, the kitchen sink, garbage disposal and any other pipe that is leaking.

The plumber will then do a quick survey of the entire home and the outside perimeter, and find out how long the water was leaking. A leaking toilet could cost up to $2,000 annually if it were not repaired. It is time for owners to have a wake-up call and take little leaks more seriously.

Plumbing Leaks Affect the Environment, Your Home, and Your Wallet

Water leaks have a significant impact on the environment because of the high waste of water which amounts to 12% of indoor water usage per household each day. Plumbing leaks can destroy parts of the home such as floors, ceilings, and walls. Only proactive plumbing repairs, instead of waiting months, will stop the leaking problems and help the environment.

Below we’ve listed 3 common plumbing leaks that are not onlywasting large amounts of water, butwasting your money as well:

Low Water Pressure

Before performing the detective work, it is important to measure the water flow and pressure in the home, especially if the homeowner states that the water pressure seems low. Low water pressure itself does not necessarily point to a serious problem. For instance, merely closing the water shut off valve or a blocked water faucet will cause low water pressure. These matters are easily fixed.

1. Toilet Leaks

A “running” toilet can waste 200 gallons or more a day. To know if the toilet is leaking perform the dye test. Put a few drops of food dye into the toilet tank and wait twenty minutes. If the dye color is found in the bowl, there is a leak of water going into the bowl which can be repaired by installing a new flapper in the tank.

2. Faucet Leaks

A faucet leak, which drips at the rate of one drop each second, wastes 3,000 gallons a year and most of the time and can be fixed by a new rubber washer.

3. Hidden Leaks

The challenge is finding the concealed leak. It may be an outside leaking sewer pipe or the tiny puddle near the water heater. By not fixing leaks, they waste up one to 1 trillion gallons of water. If you have a hidden water leak, first turn off the water at the shut-off valve. Then write down the numbers on your water meter and wait two hours. Then reread the numbers. If there is a change in the numbers, this is evidence of a water leak.

Three tools professional plumbers use that are helpful in the search for a concealed leak are:

Video Inspection equipment is a camera which is mounted on a long flexible video cable that can bend around corners and fit in small places like a faucet and pipe. “Pin hole” leaks can be discovered,

An audio amplified listening disc that is placed on a wall, a cabinet or any flat services will amplify the sound of water dripping.

A soil probe is used to discover any leaks in a sewer line and a water main which is buried in the yard.